The Road Out Blog

Caleb was a young teen living in an affluent area of a major California city. Although he is quite young, Caleb has shown himself to have remarkable talent in acting and singing, has starred in middle and high school plays and even a few television commercials.

I first heard of this young man from his aunt who attended a parent seminar I gave at a high school in another part of town. The aunt told of her increasing worries over drugs and alcohol abuse among the crowd with which Caleb (Not his real name) was hanging. She said that although he was talented and quite handsome, his judgment was poor and he had more courage than sense. She gave me the family’s name and numbers and I tried to reach the family but got no response.

Factors which MUST be addressed when overcoming addiction:

1. First and foremost, drug use must cease.

This seems so obvious that it need not be mentioned. This might require medical help during the initial withdrawal, but usually can be accomplished comfortably and without using dangerous drugs.

2. Poisonous drug and drug residues must be removed from the body.

This is called detox. But the word detox has wrongly come to mean just staying off drugs for a short period. That does not did the body of all the toxins built up over years of drug abuse. Never settle for anything less that complete cleansing of the body.

I very often hear this question from people seeking detox rehab treatment for themselves or loved ones. Where is your program? How far away is the center from my home?  We do, in fact work with many centers located around the country, (and around the world).

While it is impossible to have addiction treatment center, in every community, surprisingly, it might not even be a good idea.

Drug addiction is a complex issue which involves the addict both physically, emotionally and mentally. Ending the use of a substance which has been in the system for many years can be a real shock to the body. Withdrawal reactions occur which can be both unexpected and surprisingly strong. Even in a professional and competent detox rehab center, the dependant person must go through changes that are unnerving and unpleasant.